1. Plan something fun and get out of the house.
Tonight we went to my 1st-grader's school movie night and watched "Up." It was crazy with four kids: two don't really care about movies yet; one recently learned how to crawl and spent the entire evening plotting to get a can of soda left on the floor by one of the kids, or a discarded piece of popcorn; two do not like scary movies and ran out into the hall (the movie really gets intense!); one packed up his belongings and announced he was ready to go home after the first 15 minutes of the movie; two insisted on buying popcorn but hardly ate any while somehow managing to drop huge amounts on the floor; and all four were exhausted on the way home but luckily found a second wind and began bouncing off the walls when I announced it was bedtime.
(By the way, this movie is so great - if only it weren't so violent and intense at the end, I would buy it in a heartbeat.)
2. Think of one thing to do that you are unable to do when your physician spouse is at home, and do it.
This may sound lame, but I get so much organized when my husband is on call. And I love to organize. Once the kids are in bed, I can get so much done. Don't get me wrong, I miss talking with my husband at night and would rather him be home, but it is really nice to have an evening totally to myself every once in a while.
3. Spoil yourself, even if in just a very small way.
Reading a book on the luv sac with a bowl of chocolate-y ice cream is hard to top.
4. Forget yourself and do something nice for someone else.
This may be the most powerful and effective of the four ideas. It always works! If I try to reach out to someone else, I not only forget the circumstances that could cause me to be lonely or sad, but I also immediately feel wonderful.
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